
Zhalae Daneshvari
Developer & Designer
About Me.
Hi! I’m Zhalae, a Developer & Designer pursuing a Bachelor's and Master's in Information Science at Cornell University, with a concentration in Interactive Technology and Data Science.
My work lives at the intersection of data, design, and immersive systems. I’m especially passionate about applying data science and virtual reality to solve real-world challenges in healthcare and medicine, from building VR environments for pain management to analyzing behavioral patterns through multimodal data.
With a background in data science, virtual reality design + development, full-stack web development, ubiquitous computing, and human-computer interaction, I enjoy architecting user-centered systems that are not only technically robust but deeply thoughtful. Whether it’s developing interactive applications, visualizing complex datasets, or experimenting with sensor-driven experiences—I’m drawn to tech that really feels human.
Always curious and collaborative, I’m eager to connect with others working at the edge of innovation, impact, and meaningful user experience.
Please contact me at zhalae15@gmail.com!
Experience
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
Data Science Intern
May 2025 - August 2025
Incoming Summer 2025
Virtual Embodiment Lab
Research Assistant
January 2025 - Present
Developing and designing advanced Unity-based VR systems for experimental studies on embodiment, acute pain modulation, and altered self-perception, advancing understanding of human perception in virtual spaces.
Design + Augmented Intelligence Lab
Research Assistant
August 2024 - Present
Researching environmental psychology within healthcare design, focusing on evaluating way-finding solutions in medical settings using VR technology. Developing custom Python automation scripts to streamline data analysis and extract insights from participant behavior patterns.
Cornell Bowers College of CIS
Teaching Assistant
August 2024 - Present
Teaching foundational to advanced web development and design across two courses, covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Express.js, MongoDB, and RESTful APIs. Guiding students in building accessible, user-centered applications while emphasizing UX/UI principles, Git workflows, and industry-standard documentation practices.
International Flavors & Fragrances
Software Engineer Intern
June 2024 - August 2024
Built VR applications for Meta Quest 3 using Unity and C#, including a product demo platform and interactive terrain experience. Integrated LLM-powered chatbots with LM Studio/Ollama to enhance user interaction in enterprise tools. Developed full-stack apps with AngularJS and PostgreSQL, creating responsive UIs and data visualizations with Figma and Ngx Charts.
Albers Lab - Mass General Hospital
Research Assistant
July 2022 - May 2023
Conducted lab research on mining electronic health record data for Alzheimer's drug repurposing. Collaborated with an PhD candidate on computational biology approaches. Applied algorithms written in R and Python for data analysis.
